General Manager Eric DeCosta met with the media on Wednesday and touched on a variety of topics, including the team’s contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson.
Jackson signed a five-year contract, reportedly worth $260 million before the 2023 season, which put him under contract through 2027. However, if the Ravens and Jackson do not reach another extension, his contract’s escalation will make it more challenging to build around him.
According to Over The Cap, Jackson’s salary cap hit jumps from $43.5 million last year to $74.5 million in 2026 and 2027.
Asked about negotiations on Wednesday, DeCosta said he was “optimistic” that an agreement would be reached at some point. Jackson has said multiple times that he wants to remain with the Ravens.
“I would say I’m optimistic,” DeCosta said. “I feel good about it. I really don’t like to get into details. I’m not going to talk about it specifically.
“Lamar and I have a pact, as you all know, I’ve said it probably 50 times – we’re not going to talk about business publicly.”
DeCosta said the Ravens would “love to get a deal done as soon as possible.”
“We try to compensate our players, our best players, as well as we can,” DeCosta said. “You can look at that from an average standpoint, you can look at that from a guaranteed-money standpoint, a term standpoint, incentives — whatever that is, we try to be fair plus with our players, and I think over time we have proven that for the most part. It is important to us.”